Hustle (Book 1 in The Hunted Hearts) - SYTYCW Winner #action #comedy #romance

Hustle | Chapter 25

Copyright 2013 - All Rights Reserved

Hustle By Claire Chilton

25

Double-Cross

Ellie groaned and rolled off the bed. It took her a moment to remember where she was, but she remembered when her eyes settled on the old table inside the cabin. After the fight inside the volcano, they'd lost daylight. She and Jacob had returned to the village for the night, planning on leaving the island this morning.

They'd escaped from the volcano the same way that Meyer had got in, through a man-made opening in the same chamber as the chest. There hadn't been any mercenaries near the village, so a night in the cabin had seemed the safest plan.

I don't even know if anyone is still after us.

She peered through the broken window beside the bed. It was still dark outside with only a hint of sunlight beginning to rise over the horizon.

She glanced around the cabin. She was alone in it.

She rolled off the bed and pulled on her boots before venturing out of the door. Her mouth was dry, so she headed towards the well in the center of the village.

Jacob had told her to get some rest before he'd left to find a different cabin to sleep in last night. He'd been pretty quiet on the trek back from the volcano. He was probably thinking about his fortune and his father. It must have been a shock to find out that his father had been a criminal.

She wanted to talk to him about it. She wanted to talk to him about a lot of things. Her instincts told her that he had only been trying to protect her, but she was still recovering from him leaving her in the jungle. Even though she knew it was irrational because he'd saved her ass over and over again, she found it difficult to trust him.

Was there a treasure in the chest?

She shook her head.

Where would he have hidden it, in his pants?

She leaned over the well, dunking the bottle into it to fill it with water. She stared into the water, trying to sort out her thoughts. She was angry that he'd left her behind, and that feeling wasn't going away any time soon.

The bottle knocked against a mossy rock at the bottom of the pool. Some of the moss floated off into the water, revealing a shiny object beneath it. She frowned at the glinting rock.

She released the bottle, leaving it to float on the surface of the well as she brushed away the moss. Her eyes widened as the moss fell away to reveal a large heart-shaped diamond.

She stood up, staring at it in awe.

It's here! Did Jacob put it there?

She shook her head. There was no way that Jacob had the time to grow moss on the stone. It had been here for years by the looks of it.

Her pulse sped up.

All this time, it was here at the bottom of the well.

I should tell Jacob.

Yep, that's right. Tell him, so he can try to steal it from you again.

She frowned. She'd taken a chance on him before.

Yeah, and look how that turned out. He abandoned you in the jungle.

She stared at the diamond and chewed her bottom lip.

What would dad do?

Without thinking about it, she turned on her heel and raced to the cabin, snatching up one of the duffle bags before running back to the well. She paused for a moment, trying to decide if she was making the right choice. With a shake of her head, she scooped up the diamond and threw it into the bag.